Rockford aldermen consider requiring homeowners to shovel sidewalks

ROCKFORD - Aldermen are weighing whether homeowners should be required to clear snow from their sidewalks.

The goal is to make the city safer for pedestrians, including children going to school, who are often forced into the streets by snow-covered sidewalks.

"I remember a couple years ago, by Fairview School, I saw a child slip on the sidewalk and fall right in the street by the bus," said Ald. Frank Beach, R-10. "It absolutely put a knife right through my stomach. Thank God the buses weren't moving, but there's a situation where the sidewalks weren't clear."

City ordinance requires businesses to clear snow from their sidewalks by noon the day after snowfall has ceased, but there's no such rule for residents.

The state's Snow and Ice Removal Act "encourages" homeowners to clear their sidewalks, but it isn't required. And those who attempt to clear sidewalks of snow cannot be held liable for any injuries caused by weather conditions, unless the inadequate shoveling was "willful and wanton."

Multiple communities have enacted shoveling requirements for homeowners. In Beloit, for example, residents face a $100 fine if they don't shovel sidewalks after 48 hours.

Past City Councils have debated the issue but ultimately opted against the requirement. Beach said the issue has been brought forward again because he received numerous calls from residents asking for sidewalk-clearing rules after some of this winter's heavy snowfalls. He said the ordinance could be enforced on a complaint basis.

James Millhouse of Rockford said he contacted Beach in 2010 in hopes that the city would adopt an ordinance that requires sidewalk shoveling.

"I used to walk quite a bit, but I hate walking in the streets," he said. "I need to walk to stay healthy, but you're taking your life into your own hands when you walk out in the street."

He hopes the city will consider making homeowners and businesses play by the same shoveling rules, although he said the $100 business fine is too steep for residents.

"I'm 72 years old and I go out and shovel mine every time it snows, and I can't see why other people can't do that," Millhouse said.

Ald. Joseph Chiarelli, R-14, said the calls he's received from constituents have been overwhelmingly against the requirement. He said the city has to consider how to handle vacant houses, rental properties, houses owned by the elderly or disabled, and what do when people are on vacation when a snowstorm hits.

He understands the safety issue but doesn't want to resort to fines, especially if those fines fall on someone who truly needs assistance.

"It's a lose-lose for the city as far as fining people," he said. "People should just be courteous and conscious of the safety issue and really make an effort to clean these sidewalks."